ARNPRIOR — A new tourism partnership in Ontario’s Highlands promises to leave lasting impressions with visitors by awakening all their senses. Le Noir, taking place once a month at The 2 Grands Piano Bar in Arnprior, will offer guests the unique experience of dining in the dark while listening to lively piano music; tasting and smelling local flavours and brews; and enjoying a top secret “touch” experience that will have them interacting with surprising culinary ingredients – in complete darkness.
The next event, taking place on Thursday, May 25, offers new and exciting components due to a recent collaboration between the dueling piano bar and Pakenham’s Cartwright Springs Brewery, which was brought on board to offer a unique beer component.
As they dine in the dark, visitors can graze through several tapas menus inspired by famous artists, all the while enjoying the flavours, sounds – and brews – related to their backgrounds. For example, a Billy Joel menu will incorporate New York tastes, a beer-tasting that incorporates New York flavours, and a live piano rendition of one of his top hits, chosen by audience request. Other artists will include Elton John (London theme); Shania Twain (Canadian theme) and Enrique Iglesias (Spanish theme).
“The experience will definitely be a memory maker,” says Andre Rieux, owner and brewmaster at Cartwright Springs. “The other senses are automatically enhanced when it’s dark, so people will be out of their natural element. This will definitely be a meal they will remember and something they will want to tell their friends about.”
Ironically, Mr. Rieux’s idea of incorporating his rural brewery into a dark dining experience in his community was born at a solar-powered nature retreat. From April 24 to 27, he took part in IGNITE Lanark County, a facilitated three-day workshop in experiential tourism led by the Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization (OHTO) and hosted at Northern Edge Algonquin in South River, ON. There, along with 20 other tourism operators and supporters from the Lanark area, he learned about the power and potential of creating engaging experiences to draw in new visitors who are looking for unforgettable, authentic moments they can’t find back home.
More importantly, IGNITE sparked a new mindset for Mr. Rieux, who was inspired by the program’s focus on regional collaboration. So much so, that, the next time he made his usual beer delivery to The 2 Grands Piano Bar, a light-bulb moment struck.
“It came about spontaneously,” he said. “Having just come back from IGNITE training, I put the ideas into practice. I suggested that the brewery could help with the already-existing evening and the owner (Christopher Dziekan) was on the same wavelength. That delivery turned into a very exciting experience-building meeting.”
With the Cartwright Springs Brewery on board, the event evolved into a stimulating bootcamp for all senses.
“We are excited to see Andre take such fast action after his IGNITE experience,” said Stephanie Hessel, OHTO’s Tourism Development & Industry Relations Co-ordinator. “The fact that he immediately partnered with a new tourism ally upon his return home is promising for what’s to come in Ontario’s Highlands. It’s operators like Andre that recognize the potential for raising the bar on the quality of the visitor experience that will truly set us apart from other destinations. We look forward to seeing what other creative experiences are developed.”
Mr. Rieux says that his head is “exploding with ideas” for how he can evolve his brewery experience beyond a traditional tour. He is currently brainstorming a new soundscape experience with two of his IGNITE colleagues from Carnavic Lodge and Wilderness Rhythms in Lanark County; as well as a birding experience, a survival experience, and even an experience that incorporates a new trend, axe-throwing.
The 2017 event marked the third anniversary for IGNITE, with previous sessions held for tourism stakeholders from the Ottawa Valley (2016) and Haliburton County (2015). The program has also resulted in the development of a Spirit of the Waterfall experience package; a “We Are Experiential Tourism” conference held by the Township of Madawaska Valley; and an industry-led familiarization tour in the Haliburton Highlands to allow local businesses to gain more in-depth knowledge of the tourism experiences in their backyards, and find possible opportunities to partner.
